CHISHIMBA Kambwili says PF and government officials were benefiting from the gold scandal in Kasenseli in North-Western Province.
But Kambwili warned that come next year, January to February “you will see the disintegration of PF on a large scale”.
He complained that, “I am now treated like a leper, by a party [PF] that I helped form and a party that still enjoys proceeds from my businesses”.
Contributing to a phone-in programme on 5FM Radio where National Democratic Congress (NDC) media director Emmanuel Malite featured on Tuesday, Kambwili said PF leaders sacrificed their subordinates because they wanted to appear clean in the eyes of the public.
Last month, President Edgar Lungu transferred then North-Western Province police commissioner Hudson Namachila to Lusaka on grounds that his command had failed to secure gold deposits in the area.
President Lungu later terminated Namachila’s contract.
Then PF secretary general Davies Mwila suspended the entire North-Western Province leadership, including chairperson Jackson Kungo, pending investigations by law enforcement agencies into their alleged involvement.
“Had it not been for pressure from the traditional authorities in North-Western Province and the people, this gold scandal would not have been exposed and people arrested. In a nutshell it would be wrong for the country to say they will give small-scale artisan mining licences,” Kambwili said.
The NDC leader said like it is in Eastern Province; the only beneficiaries of the small-scale gold mining and equipment were all PF cadres.
He said the country’s economy at the moment revolved around PF cadres.
“We chose to be a multiparty democracy in 1991. And to be a multiparty you need to embrace everybody regardless of their political affiliation. But today, PF looks like a very big political party, but I can tell you something for nothing; that most of the people do not believe in their ideology and what they are doing now, they just want to survive,” he said. “In order to survive because they know that if you don’t associate with PF you can’t do business, that’s why come next year, January to February you will see the disintegration of PF on a large scale. Most of the people who have gone to PF want to show that they are sympathisers, but they are not; not that they are happy with what PF is doing but just to survive. If you are not in PF you will be treated like Chishimba Kambwili, and will not have any business. So, my brother on the gold scam, my take is that government was aware and were also benefiting.”
Kambwili suggested that the gold resources in Mwinilunga be given to ZCCM-Investment Holdings, and not a foreign investor.
He said the country could not afford to be handing over all important businesses to foreigners.
“The mines have reduced the number of employees, not because they cannot afford to pay them but because they want to increase their profits. So, my recommendation is that this resource be given to an already established mining investment portfolio which is ZCCM-IH,” he said.
Kambwili lamented about how he has been mistreated by the party that he helped found.
“I am now treated like a leper, by the way, by a party that I helped form and a party that still enjoys proceeds from my businesses. If you may wish to know, I am one of the few and first financiers of PF when we just formed it in 2001. The PF that Bowman Lusambo is using to insult me, the party that [Paul] Moonga is using to insult me, GBM is using to insult me, I was one of the first few funders with [Charles] Chimumbwa,” Kambwili said.
He recollected how MMD cadres told late president [Levy] Mwanawasa to force the mines to “cancel their contracts with Kambwili”.
“Mwanawasa refused. Mwanawasa said ‘look, this Chishimba Kambwili and his company employ Zambians, so if we terminate his contracts then what happens to those Zambians he employs? This Chishimba Kambwili pays taxes, so what happens if we push him out of businesses and the taxes that he pays? If you people want to compete with Chishimba Kambwili go and compete, but I am not going to squeeze someone based on political affiliation’,” explained Kambwili. “And by the way, to me what Chishimba Kambwili tells us helps us to be on our toes and awake. And every time Chishimba Kambwili speaks, I listen to Parliament I appreciate his contributions’. So, in a nutshell, Mwanawasa refused and that time I was the sole supplier of Maheu to the mining companies.”